Method of producing bonded twistless yarn



May 13, 1958 a. LAWRENCE 2,834,704

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Wa /u aid/m4 M M United States Patent METHOD OF PRODUCING BONDEDTWISTLESS YARN Beardsley Lawrence, Boston, Mass., assignor to FiberbondLaboratories Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of sachusetts Originalapplication March 29, 1952, Serial No. 279,232, now Patent No.2,759,520, dated August 21, 1956. Divided and this application December19, 1955, Serial No. 557,224

2 Claims. (Cl. 154-91) This invention relates to a method for producinga twistless yarn more particularly described in my copending and relatedapplications Serial No. 279,282, filed March 29, 1952, now Patent No.2,759,520, of which this is a division; Serial No. 261,049, filedDecember 11, 1951, now Patent No. 2,689,813; and Serial No. 151,449,filed March 23, 1950, now abandoned.

Among the objects of this invention is the provision of apparatus forthoroughly and uniformly impregnating a continuous series of overlappingstaple length fibers with an adhesive, and forming them into a twistlessfilamentary body. Another object is to provide apparatus for bondingstaple length fibers into a continuous twistless strand or filamentarybody in which individual fibers will be free from initial tension and inwhich the fibers will be bonded over substantial portions of theirlength.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus for saturating acontinuous series of overlapping staple length fibers with an adhesivewhile the said fibers are in an extremely thin and unmatted state and togather the fibers so saturated into a continuous twistless filamentarybody.

In the accomplishment of these objects, I draw the fibers of acontinuous roving into substantially parallel relation and into anextremely thin dispersed ribbon-like group of fibers by means of adrafting frame. Thereafter 1 saturate the fibers with liquid adhesive bydepositing them onto a roll arranged to rotate in opposed relation toanother similar roll, both rolls carrying liquid adhesive on theirsurfaces and adapted to form a liquid adhesive pool between them. Theserolls carry the ribbon-like group of fibers between them and by exertingpressure against them ensure a thorough and a uniform saturation of thefibers, and squeeze out excess adhesive. After passing the bite betweenthe two rolls, the fiber group continues on the surface of one of therolls where it is engaged by one or more forming rolls which reciprocateaxially in light contact with the fibers, and which by gathering themarginal fibers of the fiber group toward the center forms it into afilamentary body without imparting a twist thereto.

In order to permit uniform and thorough fiber saturation, the fibersmust be in an extremely dispersed and unmatted condition while beingcarried on the saturating rolls. in fact, proper saturation requiresthem to be so disposed that it would be impossible to withdraw them fromthe wet saturating rolls as a continuous body while in that condition.It is a feature of my invention that the action of the forming rollmakes it feasible to gather Very thinly dispersed parallel fibers clstaple length and Patented May 13, 1958 2 separate them from thesaturating rolls as a continuous body.

It is a further feature of my invention that in gathering the fibersinto a composite body, the forming roll does not impart any substantialinitial torsions or tensions to individual fibers within the said body.

An important feature of my invention and a feature to which theinvention herein claimed is specifically directed is that when more thanone forming roll is employed, the second such roll is controlledrelative to the first roll so as to perform its principal forming actionupon areas of the ribbon where the first roll performed less formingaction.

Additional features of my invention include a second draw frame foreliminating random misalignments in the fibers, additional reciprocatingrolls used concurrently with or after drying for purposes ofconsolidation, and pressure rolls for consolidation.

These and other objects and features of my invention will best beunderstood and appreciated from a detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown inthe accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a cross sectional view in side elevation from the left showingthe draw frame, saturation and forming apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the draw frame, and saturationand forming apparatus of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the elements shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the draw frame on the right handside showing the gear train for driving the drafting rolls,

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation from the right of the saturating andforming apparatus showing the driving gear trains,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the form of consolidation apparatus shown inFig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a view in front elevation of the consolidation apparatus shownin Figs. 1 and 6,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of another form of consolidation apparatus,

Fig. 9 is a sectional view in side elevation of the consolidationapparatus shown in Fig. 8,

Fig. 10 is a view in front elevation of the consolidating rolls of theapparatus shown in Fig. 8,

Fig. 11 is a view in side elevation of a multiple forming roll machine,

Fig. 12 is a sectional view in side elevation of the multiple formingroll machine,

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the saturating and forming elements of amultiple forming roll machine,

Fig. 14 is a partially broken away, sectional view in side elevation ofa single roll machine adapted with an enclosed housing,

Fig. 15 is a graph illustrating the path of a single forming roll, and

Fig. 16 is a graph illustrating the path of the five rolls of theapparatus shown in Figs. 11, 12,and 13.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1-10 employs a singleforming roll and includes in its general organization a draw frame 10, asaturating and forming unit 12, a drier 14, and a consolidating unit 16.

The draw frame 10 is of conventional construction and need not bedescribed in detail. It includes a series of opposed rolls 18 which maybe covered by rubber or 3 other suitable material, arranged in pairswith bottom rolls in fixed bearings and top rolls in vertical slidingjournals 22. Weights 24 (see Fig. 2) are adapted by means of long rods26 to bear against journals 22 and cause the upper rolls to press firmlyagainst the lower rolls.

The rolls 18 are driven in rotation by a source of power not shown,communicating through shaft 27 with a conventional gear arrangementindicated generally at 28, and are adapted for a draft ratio of 6-1.Thus, a roving 32 enters at the right hand side as viewed in Fig. 1 andis drafted into a fiat, thinly dispersed ribbon-like body 34 of only afew fibers thickness. In this condition, the fibers cannot be picked upor handled because they do not have enough strength as a composite bodyeven to support their own weight. However, they are sufiiciently strongto remain together while passing down smooth chutes to the saturatingand forming unit 12.

It will be understood also that numerous conventional draw framearrangements may be employed in supplying the drawn ribbon 34 to thechutes 30, and that other means for conveying the said ribbon to thesaturating and forming unit 12 are feasible. For instance, a conveyorbelt could be employed, and, in some applications where the ribbon isextremely thin, would even be preferable. Also, of course, draft ratiosmay readily be varied to suit requirements.

The saturating and forming unit 12 includes a front saturating roll 36and a rear saturating roll 38, mounted for rotation in opposed relationin suitable bearings (not shown), in upright lateral pairs of stanchionsand 42 respectively, which are in turn mounted on a frame 44. Since therolls 36 and 38 press against each other one of them may be referred toas a pressure roll and the other a saturating roll to distinguish themfrom one another.

Stanchions 40 are rigidly secured to frame 44, but stanchions 42 arepivotally mounted to carry roll 38 toward or away from roll 36. Crossbraces 46 and 48 are welded to stanchions 40 and 42 respectively abovethe level of the rolls and provide transverse support for theirassociated pairs of stanchions. The cross braces also serve to mountadjusting rods 50 bolted at one end to cross brace 46 and passingthrough perforations in cross brace 48. Set screws 52 and springs 54serve to pivot stanchions 42 forward and thereby to urge roll 38 againstroll 36, as well as provide means for regulating the pressure betweenthe said rolls.

The saturating rolls 36 and 38 in this embodiment are of equal diameterand are driven in opposite directions by a suitable source of power (notshown) communicating through shaft 56 and driving a gear arrangementindicated generally at 58. The power source for the saturating rolls maypreferably be in geared or chain driving relationship to the source ofpower for the draw frame 10 because rolls 36 and 38 preferably shouldmaintain a peripheral velocity directly proportional to the velocity ofthe ribbon as it exits from the draw frame. In this embodiment theperipheral velocity of the saturating rolls is 2% greater than the speedof the fiber as it emerges from the draw frame. This serves to maintainthe fibers straight and parallel.

Adhesive in liquid form is applied to the rolls 36 and 38 by forming asmall pool directly above the bite between the rolls. For this purpose,dams 60 are mounted adjacent the rolls on each side at and above thebite between the rolls, being adjustably supported by set screws 62,which are in turn mounted in angle irons 64 welded to each stanchion 42.

' As a ribbon 34 descends from a chute 30, it drops onto roll 38 and iscarried down through the pool of adhesive to the bite between the rolls.At this point excess adhesive is squeezed from the fibers and they issuebelow the bite in a thoroughly. and uniformly saturated state. It willbe understood that the term saturation as employed herein does not referto penetration or absorption into the interior of individual fibers(although no doubt some absorption does take place) but rather refers todistribu tion of adhesive among the fibers, and upon their surfaces.

Although the ribbon 34 is extremely weak, the moist surfaces of therolls 36 and 38 tend to support it and in this condition it may betransferred from roll 38 to roll 36 as it passes below the bite betweenthe said rolls. This is done by merely leading the ribbon onto roll 36when operations commence, and, when once started, rib bon 34 simplycontinues to transfer onto roll 36.

Ribbon 34 remains on roll 36 for approximately one half a revolutionwhereupon it is gathered and formed into a compact strand-like body byan axially reciprocating forming roll 66. Roll 66 includes a metalcylinder mounted parallel to roll 36 to slide axially along a shaft 68which is mounted for rotation in bearings in suitabc lateral supportingstanchions 70. Stanchions 70 are provided with a cross brace 72 and aremounted to rock towards stanchions 40 in a manner similar to themounting of stanchions 42. Rods 74, set screws 76 and springs 78likewise serve to adjust the position of stanchions 70 and thereby theposition of the forming roll 66. The shaft 68 is provided with an axialkey 80 and roll 66 with a corresponding keyway for driving the roll 66in rotation with shaft 68 but yet to permit it to slide axially.

Shaft 68 is driven in rotation by a gear 82 which intermeshes with oneof the gears for driving the saturating roll indicated at 58, and isadapted to rotate the forming roll 66 at the same peripheral speed asthe saturating rolls.

Roll 66 is reciprocated axially by a rocker arm 84 pivotally mountedbetween a pair of braces 86 above power shaft 56. The lower end of therocker arm 84 engages, and is reciprocated by a double walled cam 87mounted on shaft 56. The upper end of rocker arm 84 is pivotallyconnected to two drive arms 88, which in turn connect to a thrustbearing slip ring 90 mounted in hub 92 of the roll 66. Thus, rocker arm84 reciprocates moving the roll 66 axially while it is simultaneouslybeing rotated in unison with saturating roll 36. As the ribbon 34 comesinto contact with the forming roll 66, it is gathered together and/orrolled up by the reciprocal rubbing action of roll 66. To promote thisrubbing action, roll 36 may be provided with a roughened rubber surface,and the forming roll 66 may be covered with cork. Also the pressure ofroll 66 against roll 36 must be carefully controlled because too muchpressure separates the ribbon into numerous small strands and too littlepressure fails sufficiently to form the strand to separate it from thesaturating roll. Another factor of control is the length of stroke ofroll 66. It may be varied as desired to accommodate various ribbonwidths by changing the pivot point of rocker arms 84 on bracket 86.

The ribbon 34 is transformed into a twistless strand 94 by the formingroll 66. This strand 94 comprises essentially straight staple lengthfibers aligned in substantially parallel relation bonded together by anadhesive and being free from initial tensions or torsions. The adhesivemixture employed may include a high percentage of water which willeventually evaporate and leave substantial gaps or interstices betweenthe fibers. Such gaps are undesirable where strength of the yarn is anobject and therefore the strand 94 is led through a drying unit 14 andthereafter consolidated.

The drying unit is mounted on a stand 96 and includes a verticallydisposed flat box 98 positioned directly over the bite between roll 66and 36 with its top and bottom ends open. A heating coil indicateddiagrammatically at 100 lines the inside of box 98 and strand 94 is ledupward past the coil 100 but not actually in contact with it. Air isfree to circulate upward through box 98 and thereby promote drying. Itwill be understood that other types of conventional driers may beemployedand that the length of time in the drier and temperatures etc.may

be varied to suit the characteristics of the adhesive, the size and typeof yarn, etc. Furthermore, if thermal setting resins are employed,drying in itself may be no object, but heat may be the important factor.

The amount of adhesive picked up by the ribbon 34 may be regulated byvarying the pressure between rolls 36 and 33, or by changing theconcentration of solids in the liquid adhesive mixture.

Consolidation may be accomplished in several ways, two of which areherein shown. The first is illustrated in Figs. 1 (at theleft), 6 and 7,and includes two sets of opposed rolls 102 mounted in pairs for rotationin vertical journals and bearings similar to the rolls of the draw frame10. Weights 104 serve to urge the upper rolls down against the lowerrolls. Rolls 102 are driven in rotation by a suitable gear arrangementindicated generally at 106, and are maintained at the same or slightlygreater peripheral speed as the rolls 36 and 66 by chain or geared driveconnection to the general source of power. The upper set of rolls 102are adapted for axial reciprocation by providing sliding bearings 107for their shafts 108, and actuating their shafts 108 axially by means ofa frame 110 connected to shafts 108 by double thrust beatings andreciprocating the frame 110 by connecting rods 112 which are mountedeccentrically on a shaft 114 and are driven reciprocally thereby. Thesecond pair of rolls 102 in the order of progression of the strand 94may be driven slightly faster than the first pair to subject the strandto a slight draft at the same time as compressing or consolidating it.In order to maintain a more positive grip on strand 94 without exertingexcessive pressure on it, rolls 102 may be covered with cork filledneoprene, but it will be understood that varying adhesive and strandconditions may require other roll surface conditions.

Another consolidating unit is illustrated in Figs 8-10, and includes aseries of rolls mounted in a frame gen erally similar to that shown inFigs. 6 and 7. In this embodiment, however, the strand 94 is engagedfirst between an upper roll 116 and an endless belt 118 mounted uponrolls 120 and 122 and bearing against roll 116 through 90 of arc, andthen between opposed pressure rolls 124 and 126 which are provided withinterfitting peripheral lands 128 and grooves 130 respectively. Rolls116, 120, 122, 124 and 126 are driven in unison by a conventional geartrain with rolls 124 and 126 at greater peripheral velocity in order tosubject the strand to a tension or draft during consolidation. Theendless belt 118 serves to provide sufficient traction on the strand 94to permit the drafting eifect of rolls 124 and 126 to take place but yetnot to consolidate the strand to such a degree that drafting will beimpossible. Lands 128 and grooves 130 may be varied in size and contourto accommodate various sized strands. Also in order to lessen the risksof crushing the fibers in the grooves 130, a rubber or neoprene bottommay be provided for the said grooves.

Another embodiment of my invention employs more than one forming rolland is shown in Figs. ll, 12 and 13. However, before describing thisembodiment in detail, it is considered that a brief theoreticaldiscussion of the forming action will best serve the needs of clarity.

The principal thing to bear in mind when discussing the theoreticalaspects of this invention is that it is extremely ditficult to describewhat takes place in the process of forming a flat ribbon of parallelfibers into a round and continuous twistless strand by the action of aforming roll. The observer only sees the fiat ribbon going into therolls and the rounded uniform strand coming out. Just exactly what theforming rolls do is not apparent to the eye.

On the other hand there are certain things that we do know. Forinstance, it is obvious that there is a definite relationship betweenthe rate and amplitude of reciprocation of the forming roll and thespeed of the ribbon. If the ribbon stood still, forming action wouldoccur only on one spot; whereas if the ribbon went at an infinitevelocity, theoretically no forming action would take place at all. Inbetween these extremes we know that a forming action takes place in amore or less degree. The slower the ribbon moves the more perfect willbe the forming action for a given rate and amplitude of reciprocation.On the other hand, practical considerations require that the yarn moveforward at a fair rate of speed and that the forming roll reciprocate ata speed consistent with mechanical limitations.

in the embodiment of my invention described in Figs. l-lO, the mechanismfor controlling the forming roll was designed to make a complete cycleof reciprocation for each /2" of ribbon advance. The action of this rollis plotted graphically in Fig. 15 where it will be seen that the formingroll follows a conventional sine curve. The curve represented in Fig.15, as well as the curves of the graph shown in Fig. 16 depicting themultiple forming roll embodiment to be described presently, aregenerated by the point of tangency of a single circumferential line onthe forming roll as it moves back and forth on the surface of thesaturating roll. It will be understood, of course, that the yarn itselfbetween the forming roll and the saturating roll may not travel at thesame reciprocal speed as the forming roll due to variations in diameterof yarns, surface conditions of the rolls, differences in viscosity ofadhesive, etc. These graphs merely represent the empirical motion of theforming roll alone.

it will be seen from the graph shown in Fig. 15 that, as the formingroll reverses its direction, there is a short period during which theribbon receives very little forming action. This may be referred to forconvenience as a dead space. Actually, on a single roll machine as described in Figs. l-l0 and 14 with a /2 cycle and a l amplitude, theribbon is formed into a satisfactory yarn. This is because the ribbontravels sufficiently slowly, and also because the dead space in thereciprocation of the forming roll is not so great as to cause anysubstantial widening or flat spot to appear in the yarn. The formingroll not only gathers together the fibers which are immediately incontact with it, but also tends to pull together the fibers for a shortdistance ahead and behind on the ribbon. Thus when the forming rollpasses through the dead space in its reciprocation, no marked detrimentis experienced provided "the ribbon travels slowly enough.

One way to improve the action of the forming rolls is to adapt it forreciprocation in accordance with a saw tooth wave formation, or tomodify the sine wave formation to lessen the dead space inreciprocation. These modifications are considered to come within thescope of this invention.

Also great improvement in speed as well as substantial improvement informing action can be attained by employing more than one forming rolland controlling the reciprocation so that the dead space in thereciprocation of each succeeding roll meets the yarn at a differentplace from that of the preceding rolls.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. ll, 12, and 13 is amultiple forming roll machine and includes in its general organization amain frame 136, a saturating roll 138, forming rolls 139, belt mechanismfor transferring the fiber ribbon into the machine, a feed roll 141, anda pressure roll 142 adapted to press the ribbon against the saturatingroll 1138. Mechanism for regulating the pressure of roll 142 againstsaturating roll 138 is pro vided by mounting the roll 142 in a pivotalframe 144. The said frame 144 being pivotally connected to the frame 136by a horizontal shaft 146. The lower end of the frame 144 is pivoted bymeans of a lever and Weight arrangement indicated generally at 148.Brushes are mounted appropriately for the purpose of cleaning thesurface of the pressure roll 142 and the saturating roll 138 withoutinterfering with the path of the ribbon. it will be understood, ofcourse, that the saturating roll 138,

' the forming rolls 139, the feed belt 140, the feed roll 141,

'the'pressure roll 142 and the brushes 150 are all driven ingearedrelationship one to the other lay-conventional mechanism shown generallyin Fig. 11.

A prominent feature of this embodiment of my invention is the multipleforming roll arrangement. As shown, I have employed five forming rolls139 mounted on paralle l shafts 154 which are adapted at each endtorotate in bearing blocks 156. Each shaft 154 is provided with a drivegear 158 for-turning each respective forming roll 139 at a peripheralvelocity equal to the peripheral velocity of the saturating roll 138.'The bearingblocks '156 are'slidable laterally and carry'the shafts 154and forming rolls 139 in lateral reciprocation. "The said blocks156 areretained in alignment by means of sliding elements 160 which are keyedto slide laterally through appropriately ma'chined'slide openings in'themain frame 136. 'At one side, a cam arrangement indicated generallybodiment of my invention need not be more specifically described,'itbeing understood, of course, that the lower portion ofthe saturatingroll 138 rotates through a bath 152 of adhesive. Also the frame 136 maybe extended to cover the saturating roll for the purpose of controllingatmospheric conditions'surrounding the said roll. In Fig. 14 I'show asin'gle'r'oll machine with saturating elements enclosed by a cover 137.Of course, such an arrangement may be employed with the multiple rollembodiment.

'Inthe embodiment shown in Figs. 11-13, I am able to employ a muchsmaller'amplitude than inthe'embodiment shown in Figs. 1-10 and I amfurther permitted to increase the cycle length. I have found in thisconstruction that the amplitude may be reduced to /2" and the cycle'maybe increased to 2 /2". When this is done in a five forming'r'oll machinewith the formingrolls 13? spaced 1" apart, a reciprocation diagram asillustratedin Fig. 16

i will result. The area in Fig.16 enclosed in the rectangle illustratesa completed pattern of the forming rolls 139 and shows that forevery'portion ofthe length of the ribbon, it will have been subjected to theaction of at least "one 'fo'rn'iing'roll in the most effective period ofthe cycle of such roll. This arrangement has permitted me 'to speedupthe rate of'ribbon advance ina very marked' m'annerf Successful "formingaction has been per minute, and it is clear that even greater velocitycan be obtained following the teaching of this invention.

' be adaptedto act upon the ribbon or partially gathered yarn in theareas where the preceding rolls acted less. In

other words with a multiple forming 'roll'machine no single roll isrequired to complete 'the forming job, but may partially form the ribbonas it advances, and succeeding rolls will then c'omplete the formingaction by being adapted'to act on areas ofthe ribbon which were notcompletely formedby the previous rolls. Thus the ""dead space in thereciprocation of a single rollmay leave "only a' small area of the yarnincompletely formed, and thereafter it will not be necessaryto have thesucceeding forming roll act upon the yarn precisely to place the'unform'ed spot inthe center of the cycle of the second roll becauseother portions of the cycle outside of the dead space will be sufficientto complete the forming of that one unformed spot.

ghost more convenient mechanically to arrange them'as described herein.Furthermore the cycle length of one forming roll'need not be the exactsame cycle length as the other forming roll provided that the dead spaceof the second roll does not coincide on the ribbon with the dead spaceof the first roll. In other words if the cycle lengths of the variousrolls are not the same, they should be multiples ofthe'smallest cyclelength.

By theforegoing analysis I do not intend to preclude the using of morethan one forming roll with exactly repetitious patterns; In somecircumstances such an arrangement will be highly advantageous .inproviding a more compact yarn.

-While I have devoted particular attention inthisdescription to theapparatus for producing the bonded yarn of my invention, it will be seenthat the multipleforming action of the embodiment shown in Figs. 11-13,may likewise be expressed in terms of a method. In other words, formingthe yarn at least in part at a plurality of stations which combinecompletely to form the yarn may be accomplished by mechanism other thanthat specifically described herein. Therefore I intend to claim hereinthe method which includes a plurality of cooperating forming stations.

Certain variations are contemplated as coming within the scope of thisinvention. For instance it is not necessary to reciprocate only theforming roll 66, orforming rolls 139. The saturating rolls may bereciprocated if desired, it being understood that relative motionbetween the two surfaces is what is required. Numerous other variationsof this preferred embodiment of my invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and therefore it is not intended to confine theinvention to theprecise form herein shown but rather to measure it interms of the appended claims.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The'method of producing bonded twistless yarn consisting inthestepsof drafting staple length fibers into a thin ribbon wherein said fiberslie in substantially parallel and overlapping relation, thoroughlysaturating saidribbon with adhesive, thereafter forming firstportions-of said ribbon into composite twistless filamentary groups bymoving said saturated ribbon through a first fixed station andreciprocally rubbing said ribbon transversely thereof at said firststation while said ribbon is passing'through the same, whereby saidfirst formed portions 50f said ribbon lie in spaced relationship alongthe axis .of said ribbon leaving intermediate second portions of saidribbon in a state of less complete formation, and thereafter completingthe formation of said ribbon into a continuously twistless filamentarybody by moving the partially formed ribbon relative to a second fixedstation and reciprocally rubbing said partially formed ribbon at saidsecond station transversely thereof primarily in the portions of saidpartially formed ribbon which were left in said state of incompleteformation after passing said first station.

2. The method of producing bonded twistless-yarn consisting in the stepsof drafting staple length fibers into a thin ribbon wherein said fiberslie in substantially parallel andoverlappingrelation, thoroughlysaturating said "ribbon with adhesive,-regulating the amount of residualadhesiveand conditioning said ribbon for later formation by subjectingsaid ribbon to pressure to squeezeexcessive adhesive from it and toflatten the same, thereafter forming first portionsof said ribbonintocomposite twistless'filamentary groups'by moving said saturated ribbonthrough a first fixed stationand reciprocally 'rubbingsaid ribbontransversely thereof atsaidfirst station while said ribbon ispassing'*throughthe same, whereby said-"first 10 formed portions of saidribbon lie in spaced relationship which were left in said state ofincomplete formation along the axis of said ribbon leaving intermediatesecond after passing said first station.

portions of said ribbon in a state of less complete formation, andthereafter completing the formation of said References Cited m the me ofthis Patent ribbon into a continuously twistless filamentary body by 5UNITED STATES PATENTS moving the partially formed ribbon relative to asecond 523,640 Kay July 24, 1394 fixed station and reciprocally rubbingsaid partially formed 1,877,488 Allen Sept. 13, 1932 ribbon at saidsecond station transversely thereof pri- 2,476,298 Heitzer July 19, 1949marily in the portions of said partially formed ribbon 2,689,813Lawrence Sept. 21, 1954

1. THE METHOD OF PRODUCING BONDED TWISTLESS YARN CONSISTING IN THE STEPSOF DRAFTING STAPLE LENGTH FIBERS INTO A THIN RIBBON WHEREIN SAID FIBERSLIE IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND OVERLAPPING RELATION, THOROUGHLYSATURATING SAID RIBBON WITH ADHESIVE, THEREAFTER FORMING FIRST PORTIONSOF SAID RIBBON INTO COMPOSITE TWISTLESS FILAMENTARY GROUPS BY MOVINGSAID SATURATED RIBBON THROUGH A FIRST FIXED STATION AND RECIPROCALLYRUBBING SAID RIBBON TRANSVERSELY THEREOF AST SAID FIRST STATION WHILESAID RIBBON IS PASSING THROUGH THE SAME, WHEREBY SAID FIRST FORMEDPORTIONS OF SAID RIBBON LIE IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP ALONG THE AXIS OFSAID RIBBON LEAVING INTERMEDIATE SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID RIBBON IN ASTATE OF LESS COMPLETE FORMATION, AND THEREAFTER COMPLETING THEFORMATION OF SAID RIBBON INTO A CONTINUOUSLY TWISTLESS FILAMENTARY BODYBY MOVING THE PARTIALLY FORMED RIBBON RELATIVE TO A SECOND FIXED STATIONAND RECIPROCALLY RUBBING SAID PARTIALLY FORMED RIBGON AT SAID SECONDSTATION TRANSVERSELY THEREOF PRIMARILY IN THE PORTIONS OF SAID PARTIALLYFORMED RIBBON WHICH WERE LEFT IN SAID STATE OF INCOMPLETE FORMATIONAFTER PASSING SAID FIRST STATION.